Whodunnit? The new chill pill

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="77.7%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=248228&type=0&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=143&width=143&photoID=248228" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Click to enlarge picture</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">Bollywood is ready with its chill pill as part of its Diwali thrills.Hitting the screens this Friday are two murder mysteries, Pavan S Kaul''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Sssshhh...</span> and Vikram Bhatt''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Inteha</span>. <br /><br />The last Bollywood release, first-timer Robby Grewal''s <a href="http://samay.indiatimes.com/" target="_blank">Samay</a>, had Sushmita Sen cracking several murder cases. <br /> <br />Rewind to the last five week''s releases -- <a href="http://khel.indiatimes.com/" target="_blank">Khel</a>, <a href="http://zameen.indiatimes.com/" target="_blank">Zameen</a>, <a href="http://boom.indiatimes.com/" target="_blank">Boom</a>, and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Calcutta Mail</span> -- and you get the picture. Adventure flicks are the new Bollywood staple, ever since the industry realised pop corn romance was getting too corny. <br /><br />Trade expert Indu Mirani has a more definite take on the subject. "Thrillers became popular ever since Vikram Bhatt''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Raaz</span> (Bipasha Basu, Dino Morea), became a huge hit," Mirani says.<br /><br />But she sees it as a very discouraging trend. "Thrillers, especially whodunnits, are a very difficult genre. It''s not just about who is the killer. A certain technique and cleverness is needed, that is missing in most Bollywood films."<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">Industry experts say a whodunnit should hit the screens once in 3-4 months, so as to not lose its appeal. They cite the example of Abbas-Mastan, the director duo who made a success out of suspense flicks like <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Ajnabee</span>, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Baazigar</span> and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khiladi</span>. <br /><br />So which one of the two new releases is likely to make a killing? Trade circles are not enthused about two films of the same genre doing well. But <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Sssshhh...</span> seems to be current favourite, for its beautiful locations and slicker promos. <br /><br />Bhatt''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Inteha</span> seems quite similar to his upcoming film <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Aetbaar</span>, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and John Abraham. Both are written by Mahesh Bhatt and both have an overtly possessive character.<br /><br />That''s called taking the thrill out of the chill.</div> </div>